Three hoorays and another round of drinks, BLAZON STONE have set sails again! Two years after their last album and a couple of drama (problems with finding members and production issues) in between, Ced is back with another pirate metal album and to be honest we needed that.
Truth be told, the band’s latest albums lacked the inspiration and creativity of their earlier stuff, something that (according to my opinion) was natural since Ced is involved in numerous projects simultaneously, therefore it is difficult to uphold high quality standards in every record. However, there is always room for another pirate metal album and BLAZON STONE are here to deliver.
As with every BLAZON STONE album, “Damnation” is a homage to the legendary RUNNING WILD, not only musically but also aesthetically. Every song, both musically and lyrically is carefully structured to resemble the German pioneers, however in a scene that lacks originality at least they are honest enough to admit it. Therefore, in another world songs like “Raiders of Jolly Roger”, “Chainless Spirit” or “Wandering Souls” could be included in albums like “Pile of Skulls” or “The Rivalry” while other tunes like “Endless Fire of Hate” and “Black Sails in the Horizon” reminded me of Running Wild’s latter stuff like “Victory” or “Rogues en Vogue”: galloping rhythmic along with pompous anthemic choruses, that is what BLAZON STONE is all about: Lead guitar themes that create an epic / nostalgic atmosphere and add to the untamable spirit of the songs. There is a little bit of everything here: epics like “Black Sails…”, “Wandering Souls” or “Highland Outlaw” (a stunning nine-minute epic) and rockers like “Chainless Spirit” and “Bohemian Renegade” (my favorite song from the album). There are plenty of highlights, yet I do believe that “Raiders of Jolly Roger” and “Highland Outlaw” are among them.
The album is highly enjoyable something that counterbalances the lack of originality. Not only it sounds like a true homage to RUNNING WILD, but also like a modern well performed teutonic Power Metal album, something not easily found these days. Especially since the last RUNNING WILD albums sound feeble, BLAZON STONE is a great substitute for those of us, who seek pirate heavy metal. Do not miss it.
Read the discussion about the album on our forum pages.